Stigma, disclosure, and family functioning among parents of children conceived through donor insemination

Nachtigall, Robert D.; Tschann, Jeanne M.; Quiroga, Seline Szkupinski; Pitcher, Linda M.

doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(97)81480-x

Cited by 129 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Previous research into the experiences of parents who have formed a family using donor conception has largely focused on anonymity and disclosure (Almack, 2006;Becker et al, 2005;Bos et al, 2003;Brewaeys et al, 1993;Burr, 2009;Cook et al, 1995;Donovan and Wilson, 2008;Gartrell et al, 2000;Grace et al, 2008;Haimes and Weiner, 2000;Nachtigall et al, 1997;Scheib et al, 2003;Shehab et al, 2008;Suter et al, 2008;Touroni and Coyle, 2002;Werner and Westersthål, 2008) and, more recently, on the experiences of these parents and their offspring with regard to searching for their donor and half-siblings (Blyth, 2012;Freeman et al, 2009;Jadva et al, 2010). Despite this volume of research, the experiences and concerns of the recipients of donor spermatozoa regarding how the sperm banking industry operates has not been thoroughly investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of 1700 women who formed their families using donor spermatozoa

Sawyer

Blyth

Kramer³

et al. 2013

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

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This paper reports the results of an online survey of 1700 recipients of donor spermatozoa conducted by the Donor Sibling Registry, aiming to understand the perspectives of respondents who had used donor spermatozoa. The survey examined: choice of sperm bank and donor; reporting of births and genetic disorders; disclosure; contact with donor and half-siblings; regulation of sperm donor activity and genetic testing; and access to medical information. The respondents formed three groups: single women; women in a same-sex relationship; and women in a heterosexual relationship. Some differences between the three cohorts were observed: preinsemination counselling; acceptance of donors without medical records or with chronic or late-onset diseases; awareness of choice of bank and type of donor; and views on the right of offspring to know their genetic origins. However, important areas of common ground were identified: the wish by those who had used an anonymous donor that they had used an open-identity donor; support for, and willingness to pay for, comprehensive genetic testing of donors; and desire for access to their donor's family health information. The implications of these results for policies concerning the use and management of donor spermatozoa will be discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of 1700 women who formed their families using donor spermatozoa

Sawyer

Blyth

Kramer³

et al. 2013

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

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“…In previous studies, 'secrecy' has been interpreted as protecting a number of different parties in the DI process. The desire to protect partners and children from negative reactions from others has been reported elsewhere [17,22,27,30,[43][44][45]. Although legislation can prescribe who is legally the father, there can be little doubt that this does not remove uncertainty around social and personal paternal relationships of social fathers.…”

Section: Npgmentioning

confidence: 99%

To name or not to name? An overview of the social and ethical issues raised by removing anonymity from sperm donors

Burr

2010

Asian J Androl

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The aim of this paper is to focus on the ethical issues raised by the removal of anonymity from sperm donors. The increasing currency of a 'right to genetic truth' is clearly visible in the drive to revise the legislation on donor anonymity in Western and European countries. The ethical debate is polarized between the 'right to privacy' of the donor or parent and the 'right to know' of the prospective child. However, it is evident that religious, social and cultural attitudes have an overarching impact on attitudes towards sperm donation generally and anonymity specifically. In Asian countries, the social and cultural heritage is hugely diverse and different from those of the West. This review considers the research exploring the complexity of ethical issues informing this debate, and argues that parent's decisions to reveal donor insemination origins to their children are highly complex and relate to a range of social and cultural attitudes that have not been addressed within the policy to remove anonymity from sperm donors.

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“…Secondly, they have to consider whether the information about child's origins should be revealed. In earlier studies on disclosure, it has been argued that privacy about the conception allows both the child and parents to be protected from any negative societal attitudes, and prevents the family from being treated differently (Nachtigall et al, 1997), and also that both of these concerns are rooted in the experience of stigma (Nachtigall, 1993). As I showed in Chapter Six, all of the participants valued having a genetically connected baby and some participants reported being uncertain about their kinship with a donor-conceived baby.…”

Section: Disclosing Having a Donor-conceived Baby To Others: Having Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research evidence identifies three main reasons for secrecy: first, that couples may view the decision not to disclose as protecting them from negative societal reactions, and preventing their child being considered different from others (Lalos, Gottlieb and Lalos, 2007;Nachtigall et al, 1997); second, that male partners may have concerns that the acknowledgement of infertility would cause their masculinity to come under suspicion (Courtenay, 2000;Glover et al, 1996;Miall, 1996;Nachtigall, Becker and Wozny, 1992); and third, that family relationships (particularly father-child) would be damaged if the child's real genetic identity was revealed (Gottlieb, Lalos and Lindblad, 2000;Lalos, Gottlieb and Lalos, 2007). I found that the users of Repromed express similar concerns.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Removal Of Donor Anonymity in The UK: The Silencing Of Claims By Would-Be Parents

Turkmendag

Dingwall

Murphy

2008

International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family

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From 1 April 2005, UK law was changed to allow children born through gamete donation to access identifying details of the donor. The decision to abolish donor anonymity was strongly influenced by a discourse that asserted the 'child's right-to-know' their genetic origins. Under the current regulation, if would-be parents want to receive treatment in the UK, they have no option but to use gametes/embryos from identifiable donors. For a majority, this also means that they will be on lengthy waiting lists due to the donor shortage. Interestingly, the voice of would-be parents -those who would be most affected by a contraction in donor supply and would carry the burden of informing children of their origins, should they so choose-were not heard during the donor anonymity debate or thereafter.Adopting a social constructionist approach, this thesis studies removal of donor anonymity as a social problem and examines why would-be parents remained silent during the public debate.There are two major steps taken: first, examining the donor anonymity debate in the public realm through media presentations, and secondly investigating would-be parents' reactions through ethnographic studies: a virtual ethnography study and interviews.

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Stigma, disclosure, and family functioning among parents of children conceived through donor insemination

Cited by 129 publications

References 13 publications

A survey of 1700 women who formed their families using donor spermatozoa

A survey of 1700 women who formed their families using donor spermatozoa

To name or not to name? An overview of the social and ethical issues raised by removing anonymity from sperm donors

The Removal Of Donor Anonymity in The UK: The Silencing Of Claims By Would-Be Parents

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